kohl's, the department store chain, is adding more than 52,000 holiday workers-- about 10% more than last year. target seasonal work force will be 80,000 to 90,000, down slightly from a year ago, but wal-mart is adding 50,000 jobs, up slightly. and game stop will add 17,000. >> it's about the same as last year. our fall season we're really expecting a nice surge in business. >> reporter: mike buskey, senior vice president for hiring at game stop, says the world's largest video game retailer is bullish on the holiday. >> i think if you have a significant offering, consumers are ready to spend money. i think the iphone 5 release is a classic example. >> reporter: apple has already sold more than five million iphone 5s. >> that doesn't sound like an economy in recession. >> reporter: but across the country, the recovery has been uneven. nationally, the unemployment rate has dropped to 8.1%. but in four states-- north carolina, new jersey, california, and rhode island-- the jobless rate is still near 10% or above. in nevada it's more than 12%. that's why scott hoyt with moody's analytics